Every artist spends some part of a lifetime trying to close the distance between what exists in the imagination and what can actually be made.
Marcus Charles has spent a decade building a bridge between the two.
Born in upstate New York and now rooted in Los Angeles, Charles is a musician by training and a world-builder by instinct. More than twelve years at the piano gave him the foundation; Hip-Hop gave him language; science fiction gave him permission to imagine beyond what was already there. Somewhere along the way, producing songs became inseparable from creating the universe around them.
So he learned to do it himself.
Charles writes, produces, directs and edits, treating sound and image not as separate disciplines but pieces of the same vocabulary. Across six independent projects beginning in 2016—including the conceptual Humans, Robots & Ghosts—he has steadily constructed his own mythology, complete with Sky Pixels, blue fragments lifted from images of the sky that recur throughout his artwork, videos and performances as markers of spiritual presence.
Now comes [Spirit], his seventh and most fully realized chapter.
Structured around the Hero’s Journey, its 12 songs trace that familiar but deeply personal passage from who we inherit ourselves to be toward who we choose to become. Layered synthesizers collide with Hip-Hop instincts; intimate reflections open into cinematic spaces. “[Teleport]” may provide one doorway, but [Spirit] is designed to be entered as a whole.
The concept sounds cosmic. Its center is remarkably human.
Because beneath the retrofuturism, visual codes and imaginative architecture is an ancient question dressed in new clothes:
Who am I becoming?
That is where [Spirit] finds its pulse. Charles isn’t using fantasy to escape reality; he is using imagination to understand it. The machines, pixels and distant horizons ultimately point inward, toward identity, possibility and the strange work of becoming comfortable with the person staring back.
After a decade spent building worlds, Marcus Charles has arrived at perhaps the most difficult one to map: himself.
And with [Spirit], imagination and identity finally occupy the same space.
Parlé Mag: A lot of artists make albums. You build universes. From Humans, Robots & Ghosts to [Spirit], there’s a clear thread of identity, technology, spirituality, and self-discovery.
Marcus Charles: When did you realize you weren’t just creating songs—you were creating an entire world?
My inspiration flows both ways. A lot of the music is informed by visual ideas as much as the other way around. I’ve always thought about the 02 as 01. The context around the music is just as important, and the feelings I want to evoke come from a fuller experience.
Parlé Mag: The title [Spirit] feels like both a destination and a beginning. You’ve described this album as your “Hero’s Journey”—that moment where you begin understanding who you are and who you’re capable of becoming. What part of that journey was the hardest to confront?
Marcus Charles: Understanding the balance between dependence and independence was tough for me. Self-realization is isolating. You have to be the leading force behind visions that have only been revealed to you. At the same time, you cannot do it alone. You need help. But with help comes limitation, and learning to accept help when I felt I needed more was not an easy thing for me.
I resort to doing things myself and avoid having any expectations of others. Sometimes I have to remind myself to do the opposite.
Parlé Mag: Hip-hop has always been about world-building. MCs created entire realities with nothing but a microphone, a beat, and imagination. Your approach expands that idea into visuals, storytelling, production, and technology. Do you see yourself as carrying that same tradition into a different dimension?
Marcus Charles: I’d like to see my art adapted in different mediums. The visuals and music are so intertwined that I can’t help but imagine everything on a larger scale.
Parlé Mag: You’re a producer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, director, and editor of your own work. In a time when many artists build teams around every piece of their vision, why has maintaining that level of creative control been so important to you?
Marcus Charles: I’m curious to know what I’m capable of. I also learn about myself through my art. Being intentional is the point for me. Leaving any part of the process entirely to someone else defeats the purpose—unless you’re someone like Girls Gate.
We have extensive conversations about the music, but we both obsess over details and have large pools of influences. He can send me production that I don’t need to touch.
Parlé Mag: You trained as a pianist for more than a decade, yet your music lives in a space where hip-hop meets retrofuturism, electronic textures, and cinematic soundscapes. How do you balance technical musicianship with the freedom and unpredictability that makes art feel alive?
Marcus Charles: Musicianship and creative freedom are not on opposite sides of my scale. I believe they are one and the same. The years I spent training in piano have always been in service to my imagination. I think when artists get bogged down by the “study” of music, it’s because they haven’t spent enough time implementing what they’ve learned.
Parlé Mag: The concept of “retrofuturism” is fascinating because it looks backward and forward at the same time. What inspires you about combining nostalgia, technology, and imagination—and why do you think people are drawn to those contrasts?
Marcus Charles: I want my music to live beyond the current moment. Taking inspiration from the past and future allows me to create my own timeline, where things feel nostalgic right away but still unfamiliar and interesting. I think there’s hope and comfort in that dichotomy. It makes the unpredictable feel safe.
Parlé Mag: Your Sky Pixels visual language has become part of your artistic identity—those blue digital artifacts appearing throughout your artwork and performances. What started as an aesthetic choice evolved into something much deeper. What do Sky Pixels represent to you?
Marcus Charles: The Sky Pixels are evidence of something beyond the self.
Parlé Mag: The song “Teleport” has already connected strongly with listeners, with critics calling it one of the most exciting pieces of your catalog. What was happening creatively and personally when that song came together?
Marcus Charles: I remember feeling a lot of pressure. One night, I was working late, looking out the window as the sun was beginning to rise. The night and the glass that separated me from outside still allowed the light to spill in, as if to tell me that I couldn’t escape the day and all of its tasks.
I began to question who would care about how tired or pressured I felt. In that moment, I desired exile. That was the start of the lyrics, at least. I used the rest of the song to push back against my own hopelessness.
I had also been recording these isolated harmony parts for a while, one of which became the background vocals to the chorus and the starting point for all the production. Another became the intro.
Parlé Mag: You’ve released multiple projects independently since 2016, each one expanding the universe you’re creating. Looking back at the younger version of Marcus Charles who started this journey, what would surprise him most about where you are today?
Marcus Charles: I think about how much editing I’m doing now. Early on, I would sit in on editing sessions, but rightnow, I’m doing all of it myself. I am surprised by how much I enjoy it.
Parlé Mag: There’s a recurring theme in your work of humans searching for meaning in a world increasingly shaped by technology. Do you think the more digital life becomes, the more people crave something spiritual and human?
Marcus Charles: Yes. I do believe the pendulum has to swing the other way, and we are already seeing many examples of that. In addition to craving something human and spiritual, there will be a growing distaste for what is stale and lifeless.
Parlé Mag: Performances with a keytar, cinematic visuals, and a fully developed creative language make your shows feel closer to stepping into a film than simply attending a concert. What do you want someone experiencing Marcus Charles live for the first time to walk away feeling?
Marcus Charles: I want them to experience a mirror. I want people to witness themselves, their imagination, and feel just as curious about their own world.
Parlé Mag: Every generation has artists who create the soundtrack and artists who create the mythology around the soundtrack. When people look back at the Marcus Charles journey years from now, what do you hope they understand about the world you were trying to build with [Spirit]?
Marcus Charles: This album pulls from the storytelling style of films. It has plot and structure, every song giving context to the next. The intensity of the productions follows that form, too. When you immerse yourself in it from the beginning, pick it apart, and connect the dots like you would a movie, that’s when this album takes on its true life.
Parlé Mag: After years of searching, creating, questioning, and evolving, does [Spirit] feel like you finally found yourself—or did you discover there are still more versions of Marcus Charles waiting to emerge?
Marcus Charles: There will always be another corner of the universe to discover. There are places and ideas I want to explore that I didn’t get the chance to this time. But change begets change.
That’s why it’s important for the art to challenge me not only creatively, but internally. It forces me to evolve, and the art will reflect that.
Get Connected with Marcus Charles
Instagram: @marcuscharles
Facebook: @marcuscharlesmusic
